Mahal kita

In case you haven’t noticed, I have bookmarked on del.icio.us a video on Nike’s sweatshops. (Check out the “Recently Visited” section on my sidebar; it’s a nifty thing, and I have some interesting links there.) I just spent some time watching it, and I would like to urge you to take a radical action: boycott Nike.

(Oops, did I say “radical”? Ahhh! I’m going to get detained! Boo hoo hoo.)

Why? This video will explain nicely in about 20 minutes.

Behind the Swoosh

Some highlights…

1) Jim Keady, the narrator and the man behind the movement, is Catholic. I am impressed by that alone. We do know that Indonesia is largely a Muslim country, and in the video, there are quite a number of women in headscarves to suggest that a good portion of the workers are Muslims too. (This is, of course, just my conjecture; it is sufficient to know that majority of Indonesians are Muslims and the poor constitutes the majority, and from there, we could draw the link to this context. Yes, I know, tenuous link, but I admit, I don’t have the data.) Assuming my guess is correct, it is heartwarming to see people helping others, and even more so that it is happening between people of different backgrounds and orientations.

2) Notice Nike’s hostility. It seems to permeate from Phil Knight himself right down to the lowest management. I mean, watch Phil’s revealing indifference as he refuses an interview and continues to dine in some posh restaurant. It comes as a shock to me that violent mafias are working hand in hand with the company to keep the workers ‘under control’.

3) US$100 million for Tiger Woods to endorse Nike products, which probably means just wearing Nike apparel while he’s playing golf, vis a vis US$1.25 a day for a factory worker to work long hours making Nike products. I’ve never had a Nike product before, but I know that their shoes can cost more than S$100. Then you start thinking: how many shoes does a factory worker make in a day? Divide his pay by that number? Compare to the final price of the shoe? Fine, consider transport costs and management wages; can the final proportion be considered realistic? True, we do not have the exact figures, but the company’s attitude of secrecy and hostility must mean that they have something to hide.

Wearing Nike sneakers? You’ve made some poor guy poorer and some rich guy richer. Why do I say so, when the factory workers are earning money from their labour? Because, looking at their destitute and unhealthy living conditions, the net effect on them of working in the factory is negative, and compounded by their inability to obtain good education and healthcare, it is even harder for them to get out of the poverty cycle.

As for myself, I am just very afraid if there’s a similar story for Reebok, New Balance, or Birkenstock too.

For more on the campaign, visit the Educating For Justice website.

For more on corporations, do watch The Corporation (3 hours).